This past weekend, a group of 20 students from the SEED School Falcon Theatre joined nearly 6,000 other singers, dancers, and actors from across the globe at the 2018 Junior Theater Festival (JTF) in Atlanta, Georgia! Lead by SEED DC staff Dr. LaMar Bagley, Ms. Randee Grant, and Ms. Tina Taylor, the SEED DC students performed an excerpt from "Aladdin, Jr." and attended master classes in acting, dance, voice, and technical theater led by industry professionals from Broadway and Hollywood.

JTF 2018 was SEED DC's sixth consecutive year at the international festival--and our students continued their winning tradition with several awards! Senior Jiejer received the 2018 Sheridan Giles Technical Theater Scholarship, awarding him $500 to further his artistic education; scholar-artists Brianna, Dakara, and Carlos were recognized for their singing, choreography and dancing chops with an invitation to JTF's Broadway Slam, a collaborative performance with students from other schools. And last but far from least, longtime SEED DC staff leader Dr. LaMar Bagley received the Freddie G Fellowship, an elite award that recognizes America's top arts educators with a $5,000 prize.

In between performances, workshops, and awards ceremonies, the SEED students ran into the cast and crew of the Oprah Winfrey Network show "Greenleaf." These television professionals were so intrigued by our students, and their talents, that they decided to spend the day with us! Actress Kim Hawthorne and makeup artist Yvonne Eagle shared bits of wisdom and cheered on The SEED Falcon Theatre crew. Finally, the students visited the CNN Headquarters for a behind-the-scenes look at television production, and the Center for Puppetry Arts for a hands-on history lesson on puppetry. You can see more pictures from their weekend of adventure on The Falcon Theatre's instagram page.

Last Saturday, SEED DC high-schoolers and their families gathered at the University of Maryland, College Park for another Parent College Prep Academy (PCPA) event! Developed jointly by SEED DC and The SEED Foundation's College Transition & Success Team, the PCPA program gives students and families an early glimpse at the applications process, college fit and match, and options for financial support--not to mention exposure to a real college campus.

The day started with a tour of the campus (and a quick stop for lunch at the dining hall for some brain food). After that, the group gathered for a Q&A Session with four current University of Maryland students, including SEED grad Shamari Pratt (SEED DC '14). Each panelist described what led them to UMD College Park before fielding questions from our students and their families. Shamari stressed the importance of finding a mentor, and urged the students to take advantage of SEED DC's many extracurricular activities.

After the Q&A session, our students and their families attended college fit and match and financial aid workshops. Led by our team of College Transition & Success experts, these workshops covered financial assistance, on-campus resources, and other factors that lead to college success. The Parent College Prep Academy truly makes college access and success a family affair.

Thank you again to the Flamboyan Foundation for partnering with the Parent College Prep Academy, and to our hosts at the University of Maryland - College Park!

SEED Maryland's Newest Freshmen and their families are honored at the 2017 Blazer Ceremony

On Friday, SEED Maryland's freshman class and their parents, grandparents, siblings, and extended family convened for the annual Blazer Ceremony in the Friedman Auditorium. During the ceremony, the Class of 2025 (so called because that is the year they plan to graduate from college) were formally bestowed the SEED Blue Blazer, which distinguishes them from their younger peers and marks their transition to high school.

Before the ceremony, the Class of 2025 honored a few of its own. Eighteen members of the class were named prefects, which gives them additional responsibilities to the school and their classmates. Prefects are chosen based on strong academic performance as well as personal qualities, such as leadership potential. In his speech, one new prefect urged his peers to remember that today's hard work pays dividends. College may seem far away to most high school freshmen, but SEED students know it's never too early to start planning for their academic futures

The choices you make today - they really do matter.

— New SEED Prefect Bayron M.

Parents play a key role in our community, so it only makes sense that they would play a key role in the Blazer Ceremony. Many parents joined their children on stage to help them don the SEED Blue Blazer for the first time. As each student in the Class of 2025 crossed the stage, they were cheered on by family, SEED staff, and their peers--the same communities that will ultimately support them to and through college.

Jordan VISITs SEED GRADS AT North Carolina A&T!

Our advisors' annual College Outreach Visits are a key ingredient to CTS's "secret sauce." Below, follow Jordan on the final CTS social media takeover of the season as he visits Quonnetta (SEED DC ‘17), Cierra (SEED DC ‘17), DeAsia (SEED MD '16), Jasmyn (SEED DC '16), and Darcia (SEED DC '14) at North Carolina A&T State University. (Scroll down for previous installments in the #SEEDGradsSucceed series!)

Good morning SEED family!

It is a pleasure to join you all once more as I wrap up my Fall College Outreach Visit Season. Again, I am Mr. Frasier, College Success Advisor for The SEED Foundation’s College Transition & Success (CTS) Team. I am currently at North Carolina A&T State University, a Historically Black College & University (HBCU) in Greensboro, NC. I'm taking the time to check in with our SEED Graduates, to see how they are doing academically, financially, and socially/emotionally. Please join me for a sneak peek into my trip.

Quonnetta (SEED DC '17) and I just came from her Chemistry class, where they reviewed chemical reactions and took a quiz. She is currently a first year at North Carolina A&T State University majoring in Computer Engineering. We sat down to make sure her financial account was up to date, and noticed that she is still waiting on one of her outside scholarships, so now she's sending them an email to follow up. It's always great to see our SEED Graduates taking ownership of their experience and communicating with the right supports and offices on campus to overcome any barriers. Now Quonnetta is off to go study her notes and prepare for her next quiz in Chemistry on Thursday! I'm looking forward to seeing her again for the SEED Family Dinner later this afternoon.

Quonnetta after our campus tour and one on one time yesterday. She just celebrated her birthday last Friday and is still excited about it!

So glad I got the chance to catch up with Darcia (SEED DC ‘14). Darcia is in her 4th year at North Carolina A&T State University majoring in Elementary Education. She is looking forward to coming back to DC to teach and give back to DC public schools. We sat and reminisced about our College Outreach Visit her first year at NC A&T, Unfortunately, she has a class tonight and won’t be able to make our SEED Family Dinner. However, she got one on one time with me for lunch!

It is a beautiful day on North Carolina A&T State University’s campus. Jasmyn (SEED DC ‘16) and I met up at the center of campus to take a new picture. Jasmyn is a 2nd year transfer student here at NC A&T. She transferred here after completing her first year at Bennett College for Women, which is right around the corner. She enjoyed her experience at Bennett. However, she wanted access to more programs and activities. She is enjoying her transition and enjoys the new Academic challenges of NC A&T. She is also now a member of their intramural Volleyball team. Volleyball is her outlet!

I admire this friendship & sisterhood! Cierra & Quonnetta (SEED DC ‘17) are both first years at North Carolina A&T State University. They've been roommates since sixth grade at SEED, and are now continuing their tradition at NC A&T. Our SEED Graduates have 7 years of residential living experience, which makes living in college dormitories a breeze for them.

The great thing about visiting Greensboro, NC is the close proximity of colleges our SEED Graduates attend. I came around the corner to Bennett College for Women to check in with DeAsia (SEED Maryland '16). She is in her second year majoring in Biology. We caught up before heading to the SEED Family Dinner with the rest of the SEED Graduates in the area.

There is nothing like bringing together a group of SEED Graduates from the classes of 2014-2017 for a SEED Family Dinner. North Carolina A&T State University, Bennett College, and The University of North Carolina at Greensboro are all represented tonight! We are thankful to be able to bring our SEED Graduates together to reminisce about times at SEED, their college experiences, and advice from the older Graduates.

The first half of my trip is complete at North Carolina A&T State University. Thank you for following my journey today! Next Stop: The University of North Carolina at Greensboro - UNCG, and next week at St. Mary's College of Maryland. I have thoroughly enjoyed checking in with our SEED Graduates this season and look forward to continuing to support them through to college completion.

Good morning SEED network! My name is Ms. Murray and I am one of the newest College Success Advisors with the College Transition & Success (CTS) Team at SEED! I'm so excited to be taking over the Foundation's social media today, along with my colleague Ms. Weiss as we visit Towson University for the first time ever! On this College Outreach Visit, I get to meet junior Tayhlor (SEED DC '15) and learn more about her time so far at Towson. I hope you enjoy this journey with me as I sit in on class, form relationships with campus administrators who support our students, and learn more about what Towson has to offer!

11:00 AM: Touring Towson with Tayhlor

Please meet the lovely Tayhlor (SEED DC '15; Towson '19)! Tayhlor is a junior studying Theatre Production and Design. What she enjoys most about Towson is the environment. She told me that she had no expectations when she transferred here, but she loved how diverse the campus was! Tayhlor led me on a campus tour which ended at her favorite building, the Center for the Arts. All of her classes are in this building, and she's even worked on a student production here called "The Queen's Curse". And in a couple weeks she will begin working on her second production! Now we're off to class!

12:00 PM: Time for Class

I'm currently sitting in on Tayhlor's Theatre History class, listening to a group presentation on the classical Sanskrit play, Shakuntala. Tayhlor's group did their presentation a few weeks ago on the Greek tragedy, Antigone. I think it's amazing all the different cultures and histories they get to learn about in the classroom!

3:00 PM: A Few Friendly Faces

Hey everyone, look who I found! Ms. Weiss is also at Towson visiting SEED Maryland '17 grads J'Vaughn, Bianca, and Charda. We just left the Center for Student Diversity where we learned of some really great resources for Towson students! They do a lot to support first-generation college students, from hosting networking opportunities to offering scholarships! The Director of Student Success Programs stressed that students who stay connected tend to persist better through college. It is wonderful to know our students can receive so much support, and we can't wait to get them connected!

9:00 AM: Towson COV Takeover Day Two!

Good morning, SEED friends! I'm back and ready for day number TWO at Towson University. My first stop is class with Charda (SEED MD '17) then class with Bianca (SEED MD '17). After that, I'm going to connect them with a few on-campus resources, like the folks at the Office of Diversity and Student Affairs that Ms. Murray and I met with yesterday. I'm beside myself with excitement (can you tell?) to be spending another day on this beautiful campus with my fabulous grads!

12:00 PM: Productive Pizza Party!

I just finished sitting in class with my grads, now it's time for one-on-one meetings - starting with Charda! We are completing her FAFSA application (hooray for it being open already!) for 2018-2019. Not only are we being productive by getting this important task finished before the deadline, but it was made even better with a slice of free pizza!

1:00 PM: Time for Some Brain Food!

Next stop: LUNCH. It was great spending time with these two! They haven't seen each other since starting school at Towson, so they had a lot to catch up on. My stomach hurts from laughing so much - they have such good energy!

3:00 PM: Touring the Dorms with Bianca

After lunch, I did a campus tour and one-on-one time with Bianca. The first stop was her dorm - she lives in a suite with a sophomore. Bianca likes her dorm, especially because it's close to all her classes on campus. She said her RA is very involved and her floor is always doing fun things together as a group!

6:00 PM: Saying So Long to our SEED Grads!

Second day at Towson: COMPLETE. It was great spending the day with Bianca and Charda, and getting to learn what a day in their shoes looks like! Thanks for following me during this Social Media Takeover, and stay tuned for Mr. Frasier's College Outreach Visit at North Carolina A&T State University next week!

There's nothing like learning by doing! On Monday, five SEED School of Washington, D.C. students attended the groundbreaking at the future R. L. Christian Apartments, a 100% affordable housing development. SEED student Ke'Ev's questions about homelessness and affordable housing impressed Mayor Bowser so much, she called Ke'ev forward and invited him to help break the sod!

Ke'Ev and his classmates have been taking Introduction to Urban Planning this semester, a new course offered at SEED DC taught by Mr. Epps. The course covers a wide range of issues, with an emphasis on local development and affordable housing. Mr. Epps jumped at the chance to get these students some hands-on experience. "Hearing vocabulary and themes from our earlier lessons allowed them to absorb the opportunity," he says.

LIZ VISITS SIX(!) SEED GRADS AT OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY!

This is the third installment of SEED's College Transition & Success tales from the road, where our advisors give a first-hand account of a day in the life of a College Outreach Visit. Scroll further down our blog to see earlier adventures!

9:00am: Kicking off at Old Dominion University!

Good morning SEED family! My name is Ms. Middleton, and I am a College Success Advisor with the College Transition and Success (CTS) team at SEED. Thanks to my fellow Advisors Mr. Frasier and Ms. Weiss for sharing their campus visits over the past two weeks! Today, I'll be sharing with you my visit to Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA to visit 6 SEED graduates - first-years Diamond, Johnae, Misty, Sakari, and Zhane' (SEED DC '17) and junior Sherrick (SEED DC '15). I'll be attending classes, visiting with on-campus support services, and catching up with our grads, so stay tuned for more updates!

10:00am: Checking out the Student Support Services

I'm spending the first part of my morning with Sakari, a first-year student and nursing major at ODU. After attending her Intro to Dance class (where she made me promise not to take any pictures), she introduced me to the folks at ODU's Student Success Center. Sakari, along with our other SEED grads, participates in the Student Support Services and TRIO programs on campus. These provide students with academic advising, mentors, tutors in every subject, personal development workshops, and sometimes even financial support. I am thrilled all of our SEED grads are involved with Student Support Services at ODU!

12:00pm: Time to hit the books!

I'm now on to English class with Diamond, another first-year student who is considering a major in Criminal Justice. Diamond gave me a quick campus tour and pointed out the Writing Center and Tutoring Center, which are conveniently located in the library. She has used both of these resources already for her classes and has found them very helpful. I'm happy to see that ODU offers strong academic supports, and that our grads are taking advantage of them!

2:00pm: Gotta love a dorm with a view!

Meet Misty, another first-year at ODU who is considering majors in English and Philosophy. Misty and I caught up outside of her dorm and enjoyed this beautiful view behind us. All five of our first-years here live in the same section of campus, so they see each other and spend time together often. There is even a dining hall conveniently located in Misty's dorm where they can share meals. Now that she feels settled, Misty is looking forward to getting involved in more clubs on campus, such as Anime Club and organizations for students who like to write.

4:00pm: It's all about that work-life balance

I snapped this quick picture of Zhane', another first-year at Old Dominion, while she was playing tour guide and showing me all the places on campus where she spends her time. In between classes and attending Student Support Services/TRIO programming, Zhane' works in the recreation center, where she helps in the back office with paperwork and data entry. Her supervisor appreciates how efficiently she works! We made a quick stop to grab some food, and Zhane' headed off to work, all dressed up in her uniform of ODU gear. Thanks for the tour!

6:00pm: Crossing and dotting our financial t's and i's

I spent some time with Johnae between her classes and the many activities she's already involved with at ODU. In addition to working with TRIO, Johnae is a member of the ODU Women's Club Volleyball team as well as an on-campus choir group! She has enjoyed all of her activities and feels like Old Dominion is the perfect fit for her. We took some time our of her busy schedule to catch up and fill out her FAFSA for the 18-19 school year, which opened on October 1. I am excited to see Johnae involved in so many activities that bring her joy!

9:00pm: Ending the visit on a high (and delicious) note

It's our last stop of the day - dinner! After a busy week, everyone is excited to get off campus and have dinner with friends. It's been great visiting these young ladies and seeing how well they are doing at college already. Thanks for following, and stay tuned for another CTS social media takeover soon!

Our advisors' annual College Outreach Visits are a key ingredient to CTS's "secret sauce." Below, follow Lydia and Joi as they visit SEED Maryland's 2017 valedictorian Jackie at Stevenson University. (Scroll down for Jordan's visit to University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point!)

8:00am: Arriving on campus at Stevenson University

Good morning SEED community! My name is Ms. Weiss and I am a new College Success Advisor with the CTS team. Today I am doing my first local College Outreach Visit on Stevenson University's Owing Mills campus. I am beside myself with excitement to see a small snapshot of what a typical day looks like for Jackie (SEED MD, Class of 2017). I'm going to sit in a class, check out the dorms, get a tour of campus, and eat a meal with Jackie! Now that I've got my caffeine, it's time to head over to the administrative buildings and start connecting with the wonderful staff here at Stevenson!

9:00am: Establishing Community at Stevenson University

Everyone meet Jackie! She is a first-year student at Stevenson majoring in nursing. The first stop on my campus tour was the Ratcliffe Community Center, this is a great spot for students to hang out, play pool, and do homework. Jackie hangs out there with friends and likes to play basketball and ping pong!

11:00am: Meet the Roommate!

Next up, Jackie's dorm! She shares a suite with a junior and her RA (who is also a nursing major!) which she thinks is super helpful :)

1:00pm: Let the Learning Begin!

I got to sit in Jackie's Freshman Seminar class this afternoon! She's taking this class with other nursing majors, which is a great way to meet and get to know other people in her cohort :)

4:00pm: A little luck never hurt!

There are mustangs all over campus since that is Stevenson's mascot. When I asked Jackie to pose with this one, she said she is rubbing the mustang's nose for good luck as she pursues her degree and plans to graduate in 2020!

7:00PM: The best part of the day: dinner with your advisor!

College Outreach Visits aren't officially complete until we eat a meal together with our advisees! Grads get to pick wherever they want to eat - Jackie picked iHop! Her go-to meal here is chicken florentine crepes. They hit the spot :)

9:00pm: Time to head home!

Annnnnnd that's a wrap, folks! I had a great day spending time with Jackie on campus. I learned more about what a life for a Stevenson student is like and cannot wait to be on campus again! Thanks for spending the day with SEED, Jackie! Also thanks to Ms. Baker for being our photographer and spending the day with us.

JORDAN VISITS SEVEN(!) SEED GRADS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - STEVENS POINT

College Outreach Visits have always been a SEED staple because they cement the graduate-advisor relationship and ease the transition to college. For the second year in a row, we asked our College Transition & Success (CTS) advisors to take over our social media handle and share first-hand accounts from their college outreach visits across the country. Below is the first installment for the year, from when Jordan visited with SEVEN(!) SEED grads at The University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point!

9:00am: Arrive at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Good Morning! I am Mr. Frasier, College Success Advisor from The SEED Foundation’s College Transition & Success (CTS) Team. I serve as a post-secondary support to our SEED Graduates as they transition to--and through!--college completion. I am excited to bring you along on my first College Outreach Visit of the season. Every SEED graduate receives a visit from their advisor during freshman year to make sure they're staying on track academically, socially/emotionally, and financially. Over the next three days, I am at UW-Stevens Point to visit four first-year students and three upperclassmen. I hope you enjoy snapshots of my trip and continue to follow along as CTS takes over SEED's Social Media.

12:00pm Taking a Snack Break with Tajeeh!

Everyone say hello to Tajeeh (The SEED School of Maryland ‘17; UWSP ‘21). He is in his first year at UW-Stevens Point, and is double majoring in psychology & sociology with a minor in creative writing. We just finished catching up, touring his dorm, and tackling a few financial aid concerns. After all that, we built up quite an appetite!

2:00PM - Dominick (The SEED School of Maryland ‘17; UWSP ‘21) with his “Second Mom” Trisha, who is the Director of Tutoring and Learning at UW-Stevens Point. Dominick and our other first years are involved in a mentor program called LEAP where they are matched with an upper classmen mentor, have a weekly college success course, and it gave them the opportunity to come out to UWSP a week early where Dominick was hosted by Trisha and her family that week

Day 2: 10:00am: History of Theatre Class with Chris

Good morning everyone! This is Day #2 at UW-Stevens Point. I just met up with Chris (The SEED School of Washington, D.C. ‘17; UWSP ‘21). So far, his favorite class has been his Theater History course. He says: “It's great to learn about the history of my chosen craft” Chris was a very active member of The SEED Falcon Theatre while he was a student at SEED DC. He could be found on stage as Timon during the performance of The Lion King Jr. during his Junior year. The Fine Arts building at UWSP is named in honor of SEED Board Member John Noel and his wife Patty, strong supporters of both The SEED Foundation and our grads at UWSP!

Day 2, 1:00pm: Visiting Antonio at Work

Hey Everyone! I just got finished catching up with Antonio, who graduated from SEED Maryland in 2015; he is in his 3rd year at UWSP. We connected at his on-campus job in the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, where he helps to plan events. He is currently planning a Color Run for the Spring to raise awareness regarding equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community. It is great to see our SEED Grads being leaders on college campuses nationwide!

Day 2, 8:00pm: Dinner with the young men of SEED & UWSP

During our College Outreach Visits, we bring together our first years and upperclassmen for a SEED family dinner. It’s a great chance for all the SEED grads on campus to connect with each other and chat about what’s going on in their world. And what college student can resist a night where they don’t have to eat cafeteria food?

This picture makes me smile for many reasons, but these two really make it stand out in my mind. First, this group is a mix of both SEED DC and SEED Maryland graduates from the classes of 2014, 2015, and 2017, all currently attending UW-Stevens Point. Second, I am surrounded by just a small sample of the young African American men that I have the pleasure of supporting to -and through!- college completion.

Thank you for taking the time to follow my College Outreach Visit to UW-Stevens Point. I hope you enjoy getting a little sneak peek into my world as I travel to see our SEED Graduates at their respective Colleges & Universities.

Pictured: Bryon Ford (SEED DC '12, Morehouse '16), came back to SEED DC as a student life counselor and teacher to "pay his tithes" to his community.

Dear SEED Community and Friends,

If I ever believed in stereotypes, my mentors at SEED shattered them immediately. Together, they showed me different ways to be a black man—that black men could be scientists and engineers; intellectuals; even natty dressers. In fact, my entire SEED experience was really a crash course in how different peoples, cultures, and communities coexist—and the common humanity that unites us all.

I believe that the terrible events in Charlottesville, and the overall spike in racial tension and violence in this country, are the result of willful ignorance. The people who perpetuate these acts have deliberately chosen to isolate themselves from people of other beliefs or skin colors. This isolation, in turn, enables them to dehumanize those “others.”

If ignorance is the disease, then a SEED education is a vaccine. The kind of ignorance and narrow-mindedness that feeds hatred would be utterly impossible for a SEED student. Stereotypes could not withstand the many enrichment opportunities that I—and now my students—are fortunate enough to experience. SEED isn’t just shaping our young people into college graduates: we’re shaping them into citizens of the world.

We can’t offer our students these life-changing mentorships and opportunities without you. Donate to The SEED Foundation today to open a student’s mind to a world of possibilities.

Last year, three students from Onda Solidária in Brazil hopped on a plane for the first time and visited SEED DC and SEED Maryland. This summer, it was the SEED students' turn to enjoy Onda Solidária's hospitality in Brazil! From digging their fingers in the dirt at an organic community garden to a spontaneous dance competition, our students gained international perspective and had a ton of fun. We're proud of these young travelers for embodying the spirit of SEED Summer Learning!

Our hosts at Onda Solidária wasted no time on introductions; as soon as SEED students arrived, the kids were trading lessons on the finer points of futebol vs. football and breaking the ice with a few pickup games. Despite the language barrier, there were plenty of jokes and smiles all around. After the warm-up, SEED students participated in a dance clinic on the Samba. Of course, our students returned the favor and showed our hosts some moves of their own! The SEED students made sure to hit all the tourist spots before heading to their next destination, leaving some time at the beach to catch a few of Rio's famous rays.

After exploring the sights and sounds of Rio de Janeiro, our students (and chaperones!) were excited to get out of the city and see some of Brazil's natural wonders. Only a few hours away, in Ibitipoca State Park, the students spent a full day hiking up hilltop trails and splashing in streams fed by waterfalls. Students also explored the grounds at Vila do Sonhos, an educational center, organic garden, and food kitchen managed by Onda Solidária. There, SEED students harvested heirloom crops such as cassava and learned traditional Brazilian cooking techniques.

We are incredibly grateful to Onda Solidária for opening their doors to SEED, and we look forward to hosting--and visiting--them again soon!

Special thanks to every member of The SEED Community that got behind this dream and made it happen, to the chaperones that touched our hearts, and to the youth who became great new friends and acted as true ambassadors.

Our rising seniors at SEED DC and SEED Maryland jump-started their senior year with the 2nd annual SEED College Prep Boot Camp! They've spent the last 48 hours together at SEED Maryland, learning interview strategies, drafting college essays, getting a crash course in financial aid, and much more. Staff from both schools and the Foundation collaborated to design and lead our seniors in sessions on the college application process, and SEED CEO Lesley Poole even joined in with a personal story highlighting the importance of grit.

It wasn't all work and no play, though! There was also a discussion panel with SEED graduates, an advance screening of Wes Moore's "All the Difference," and even an ice cream truck! "All the Difference," a PBS-produced documentary, traces the paths of two teens from the South Side of Chicago who dream of being first members of their families to attend college. Special thanks to Joy Moore (Wes's mom) for leading our discussion after the screening. We can't wait to watch our SEED seniors go off to college next fall!

It only takes one generation to dramatically change the destiny of a family, and when families change, communities change.

This year's SEED Summit saw over 400 staff members from across the entire network gathered at SEED Maryland's campus for two days of community building, professional development, and celebration. Summit began with the SEED Celebration Dinner, featuring performances by current SEED students, graduate remarks, and the first annual SEED Staff of the Year Awards!

This past spring, each SEED school selected their campus-wide winners in the following categories: Teacher, Student Life Team Member, Student Support Team Member, School Support Team Member, and Leader. (The SEED Foundation also nominated staff in the latter three categories.) These exemplary professionals then competed with their counterparts at the other schools for the title of network-wide winner, which was recognized with a trophy and a cash prize of $1,500. Pictured above are the 2017 network-wide Staff of the Year winners--congratulations to these SEED stars!

In addition to the Staff of the Year awards, Thursday featured plenty of joyful reunions, brainstorming sessions, and even an impromptu dance party! Friday, the second day of Summit, was dedicated to tailored professional learning. SEED Staff selected and attended four different 70-minute workshops. The workshops, which were led by other SEED staff, ranged from Technology Integration in the Classroom, to Creating a College-Going Culture, to Mindful Meditation. Over 40 different sessions were offered, including "Managing Yourself: The Starting Point for Leadership," led by our very own CEO, Lesley Poole.

Before saying "so long" to our colleagues, members of The SEED Foundation's Leadership Team took the opportunity to offer some guidance for the year to come. Chief College Success Officer Vincena Allen discussed the ways that all SEED staff, regardless of role, contribute to our students' college success. Project Director Hopi Moodie outlined SEED 20/20, a network-wide, forward-looking plan for the organization's next twenty years. Finally, CEO Lesley Poole illuminated the path that led her to SEED 20 years ago, before leading the staff in a rousing rendition of the SEED pledge.

SEED Summit 2017 was truly a network-wide effort. Nearly 40 staff from all three schools and the Foundation worked together to plan and executive this event, and over 50 staff members from all four entities led professional development workshops. We greatly appreciate their planning, organization, and leadership: Summit would not be possible without them.

It may be summer, but SEED's college-preparatory work takes place year-round! 2017 SEED College Boot Camp will take place Wednesday, August 16 - Friday, August 18th at The SEED School of Maryland. This event is mandatory for all rising SEED DC and SEED MD seniors. Please fill out the registration form below by August 4th.

Student's Name *

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Cell Phone Number

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Email Address *

Emergency Contact Person *

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First Name

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SEED DC

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Thank you for registering! We look forward to seeing you at College Prep Boot Camp for Seniors on August 16th! If you have any questions please contact your college counselor (SEED DC: Dr. Christopher Vick; SEED MD: Ms. Mildred Harris

Since its inception, professional development training has been a key ingredient in SEED’s College Transition & Success model. Over this past weekend, 40 recent SEED DC and SEED MD graduates gathered for the 12th annual SEED Graduate Institute (SGI), where they networked, gained financial wisdom, de-stressed, and reconnected with one another. Click on the gallery below to see some highlights from this weekend!

SEED graduates started the weekend with two informational sessions on financial planning and then moved on to a range of other topics including resumé writing and crafting an elevator pitch. After lunch, they practiced interviewing with volunteers from a range of professional backgrounds, and finally put their freshly sharpened skills to the test at a networking mixer. All of our sessions were centered around this year's theme, "Building The Best You." Before heading out to put these new skills to use, though, we made sure to give the grads a hands-on lesson in one of the most important professional skill of all: managing stress. Yogi Tierra Briscoe led the grads in a free-spirited yoga class designed to highlight holistic methods of stress reduction.

Even with all that hard work, though, the grads managed to have more than a little fun catching up with members of their SEED family, like Deja Pendleton, Essence Fullwood, and Olatunji Coleman from the SEED DC Class of 2016, pictured below.

June is our favorite month of the year at SEED--because it's the moment when all of our students' hard work has paid off. The joy in the air was infectious at both SEED DC and SEED Maryland as our two Classes of 2017 completed the first step of their educational journeys. We are deeply proud of our students' commitment to their education, and honored by our families' trust in us.

On June 3rd, SEED Maryland was treated to not one, but two extraordinary commencement speakers: Nancy Abu-Bonsrah, the first black female neurosurgery resident at Johns Hopkins University and a first-generation American, and Alma Powell, longtime SEED supporter and founder of America's Promise, an educational alliance devoted to our nation's youth. Valedictorian Jackie Ndayizeye described the nurturing and inspiring environment that SEED had provided her for her, and Jeremiah Paige (SEED Maryland Class of 2015) presented the SEED Graduate Achievement Award to Harry and Beth Lebow. The award goes to any outstanding member of the community who exemplifies SEED's values and is selected annually by SEED's graduates; Harry and Beth Lebow are deeply dedicated and passionate SEED Maryland supporters.

Two weeks later, on June 17th, it was SEED DC's turn to graduate its 13th class of seniors. D.C.'s Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton reminded students that "nothing is impossible," and reminded them of the power of their SEED degrees--and the college degrees that they'll soon begin to earn.

Valedictorian Ahmad Hassan discussed how SEED has already helped his family fulfill their potential--his brother Dahir (SEED DC '13) just graduated from Howard University last month and his sister Maryam (SEED DC '15) just completed her second year at Virginia Tech. Once again, students were presented with numerous scholarships, awards, and accolades, and graduate Keyana White (SEED DC '12, Trinity Washington University '17) presented the Graduate Achievement Award to Tyrhee Moore (SEED DC '11, West Virginia University '15) for his incredible achievements in the great outdoors and his service to the community.

In addition, SEED DC's Graduate Achievement Award was renamed in honor of Letia Naylor (SEED DC '06), who lost her battle with cancer earlier this year, and Letia's mother Lynnette came to the podium to help with the presentation of the award.

Summer is a critical time for students and educators. It’s when summer melt strikes—when up to 40% of low-income, first-generation students who are planning to attend college lose steam and never start classes. It’s prime time for The SEED Foundation’s college success advisors, who help our graduates navigate the pitfalls that cause summer melt. And it’s prime time for you, our supporters—because from now until June 30th, all new, increased, and renewed gifts will be matched dollar for dollar by an anonymous supporter.

How does SEED ensure that our graduates—80% of whom are first-generation college-bound—don’t succumb to summer melt? By developing meaningful relationships with each graduate, so that when obstacles arise, they have an arsenal of experts on speed dial.

Take Tiffani, SEED DC ’16, who had registered at Penn State-Hazleton last summer: “My advisor warned me that it wasn’t my most affordable option, but my heart was set on Penn State. I appealed my financial aid award and tried to get additional funding, but by mid-August, none of it had come through. I was going to put college off for a year. But my advisor put everything into perspective for me—like how my existing scholarships and financial aid would be affected, and how much time I could lose.They urged me to go with the Plan B that we’d come up with earlier in the summer. I contacted Radford University that day. With SEED’s help getting everything in order, I started classes there a week later. Now, I’m finishing my freshman year with a 3.2 GPA.”

SEED’s college success work is entirely funded by private donors like you.Please click here to support students like Tiffani to and through college. All new, increased, and renewed gifts will be matched dollar for dollar by an anonymous supporter.*

Thank you for helping first-generation college students like Tiffani take their seats on campus. The SEED Foundation can’t eradicate summer melt without you.

*Questions about the terms of the donor match? Please reach out to Alisha Huntley, Director of Development Operations and Annual Giving, at 202.785.4123 x58 or ahuntley@seedfoundation.com to make sure your gift will qualify.

Hardworking, driven, kind, helpful, community-oriented, forward-thinking--these are just a few of the words that were used to describe the 2017 winners of The SEED Foundation Scholarship during the annual Scholarship Reception on Thursday. Seniors from both SEED DC and SEED Maryland gathered at SEED DC, where they were presented with a certificate affirming their scholarships, as well as encouragement, reflections, and well-wishes from the SEED community.

During the reflection period, both heads of school--Jon Tucker of SEED Maryland and Mecha Inman of SEED DC--described how proud they were of each student and how inspiring it had been to watch them grow over the last seven years. SEED Scholarship committee member Jay Carmel applauded the winners for their hard work and impressive scholarship applications. Donor Joe Rice shared a person anecdote about his own college experience and exhorted the SEED seniors to prioritize their studies over having fun.

But perhaps the highlight of the event were reflections from the students' parents. One parent recalled the frustration of waiting for her child to be pulled from the SEED waitlist, and how excited they were when it finally happened. Another mother still recalled her child's number in the SEED lottery--seven years after it happened. Families expressed profound gratitude for all of the opportunities SEED had provided their students over the years.

The SEED Foundation Scholarship is a $3,000 college scholarship, renewable for up to four years. Only students who attend SEED endorsed colleges are eligible to receive the scholarship. SEED students participate in a rigorous process throughout their junior year to receive the scholarship, including a written application, letters of recommendation, and in-person interview with the Scholarship committee.

On Thursday, May 11, more than 200 members of the greater Baltimore and SEED Maryland communities gathered to celebrate the Class of 2021. Grace, a graduating SEED Maryland senior, and Ralph, a SEED Maryland graduate and freshman at Salisbury University, led the festivities. They described a few of the highlights of their own SEED experiences: Grace participated in a number of once-in-a-lifetime exposure opportunities, including the SARE program at Johns Hopkins; Ralph shared how support from his CTS advisor helped him secure his full scholarship funding.

Grace and Ralph also introduced keynote speaker and longtime SEED Maryland board member Kevin Liles, who spoke about the importance of being your best in every aspect of your life. After dinner, audience members also enjoyed performances by the SEED Maryland Glee Club, singing a toe-tapping rendition of Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror," and a coming-of-age themed performance by the SEED Maryland African Drumming and Dance Club.

Another major highlight of the evening was the Presentation of the Class of 2021 (so called because that is the year they plan to graduate from college). Each member of the SEED Maryland senior class introduced themselves and shared their plans: where they are enrolling in the fall and what they plan to study. It was a wonderful opportunity for SEED Maryland's supporters to see where seven years of a college preparatory education can lead.

If we want to truly lead the world again in terms of young people with a college degree, we should celebrate students going to college the same way we celebrate athletes and celebrities. Education should be that important for every single person in this country.

SEED seniors revealed their future plans to the thunderous applause of their educators, friends, and the school's freshman, sophomore, and junior classes--inspiring them to follow their college-bound example. This coming fall, they will pack their bags for Temple University, North Carolina A&T, Old Dominion, Virginia Tech, and the University of Rochester, among others.

SEED DC's seniors are already bursting with college pride!

SEED Maryland seniors also have a lot to celebrate. Many of them were inspired and impressed during a SEED-led trip to Salisbury University during an Accepted Students Day event, and are excited to stay relatively close to home as they embark on the next phase of their education. SEED Maryland students will also be attending Hood College, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point (a SEED partner), UMBC, and Michigan State, among others.

We wanted to show all of SEED Maryland's college acceptances, but we ran out of pennants!